


The Heart Leads

by DarkJediQueen



Series: Steter Week 2020 [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Accidental Child Acquisition, Attempted Murder, Canon Racism Against Werewolves, M/M, One-Shot, Prince!Peter, Steter Week, werewolves are known
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:40:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25526071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: Peter was kind of shocked to see the little girl off on her own and he looked around for the parents, trying to figure out who they were by scent.
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Steter Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849420
Comments: 26
Kudos: 361
Collections: Steter Week 2020





	The Heart Leads

**Author's Note:**

> **Year** : Future  
>  **Spoilers** : Everything  
>  **Notes** : For Steter Week 2020 July 26th Prompt of Accidental Child Acquisition.  
>  **Beta** : Grammarly

Peter stopped and looked at the child that was sitting down underneath a tree and reading. That wasn't that big of a deal, but the child looked like she should be no older than four, and she was looking at a rather thick book. Peter knew that young children reading wasn't a shock, but there were not many who were like him and started reading at a very, very early age.

Looking around, Peter tried to find who the child belonged to, but there was no one looking at her. Peter frowned at that. He knew that for some children were accessories, but he had figured that anyone who came here to get a tour of the Hale Castle would actually care about what they did while they were here. Werewolves cared for children more than they sometimes cared for themselves. Peter would gladly give his life to save any of the children that his sister had given life to. He was more than willing to make sure that they lived if he needed to.

So to see this child just left to her own devices in a place where there were strangers everywhere left a curl of anger and disgust in his gut. He looked back at the guard with him and made sure that he stayed where he was. The man nodded his head and started to look around, casing anyone who looked at Peter for anything over a minute.

The girl looked up at Peter as he got closer, and she gripped the rainbow-colored messenger bag that was sitting beside her. She was watching him like a hawk, and even though shew as a child, Peter actually felt like he was doing something that he shouldn't be.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked. Her tone was sharp, and she was looking at Peter like the matron used to at the boarding school that he had gone to for his school years. It was quite a look on the girl. She had eyes that reminded him of a doe, large, and a little startled.

"Hello, my name is Peter. I was hoping to talk to your mother or father."

"Why?" she asked. She closed her book and slipped it into the messenger bag and slipped that over her head to where when she stood, it would go up with her, and her hands would be free.

"Well, I just need to talk to one of them."

"Why? What have they done that they need to speak to anyone?" the girl asked.

Peter raised an eyebrow at that. She was quite well-spoken for a girl that age. He might have to add a year or two to her age and put her closer to six than four. Still, he wasn't going to be outwitted by a child, nor was he going to play nice with one to save them the fact that her parent had left her alone in this place. It was near the end of the touring time, and that meant that the adults would be leaving, and Peter didn't want to deal with the headache of a crying child who found out that their parents had left her behind. It had happened more than once; one set had made it all the way home, an hour away, and hadn't realized they left their child behind. That one had been turned over to the Sheriff's department as the castle was actually outside of the city limits of Beacon Hills. Sheriff Stilinski had not been happy at all.

"Well, sweetie, you shouldn't have been left like you are right now." Peter looked around to make sure that no one was looking at them, and other than glances by bystanders who Peter was pretty sure would allow him to just walk away with the girl, none of them were paying attention.

"Well, duh, I'm a kid. Papa told me to stay right here, and he would be right back. I'm actually worried about him, but the last time I walked away from where I was supposed to be, I got really lost. I ended up finding him, but Papa is human, and his nose isn't as good as mine." The girl's eyes flashed. She was a beta werewolf then.

Peter hummed at that. It seemed the human who was this little werewolf's father was a piece of shit.

"Why don't you come with me, and I'll take you to security?" Peter asked.

"You know, it's not nice to ask a little kid to go with you, right? Next, you are going to be telling me that I'm a good little girl, and I deserve candy, and you have that in your car."

Peter raised his eyebrows at that. Well, the girl had him there.

"What about if I get security to come over here?"

"How about I follow you to security?" the girl asked.

"Sir, you are needed. Your sister needs you," Peter's guard said as he stepped close to him.

Peter looked down at the little girl and then back at Marlon. "I need to take her to security so that her father can be called."

"I'll take her, Sir. It seems the issue is a little dire."

"Fine. Are you okay substituting him for me?" Peter asked.

"He, at least, looks less creepy."

Marlon laughed, and Peter eyed him. He didn't even try and hide the laugh, he looked at the little girl and then back at Peter. Peter stepped closer to him.

"What's the issue?"

"Your sister wants to explain it better and told me not to tell you anything, but I guess there was someone here who shouldn't have been, and they are afraid that he means to do harm."

"Okay. Thank you. She's a wolf, so be gentle. I wouldn't touch her, I think she might bite."

The little girl actually snapped her teeth at them, fangs visible. She looked downright adorable.

"Let me know who her father is," Peter whispered what he hoped was low enough for her not to hear. He would make sure that she was settled into her house, and this was a freak accident.

Just as he was heading inside the private side of the house, he looked to see her running up to a Deputy who was striding onto the grounds. Peter wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. The Deputy turned and left with her as the Sheriff and another Deputy kept on doing. Peter was glad that she had found someone. Marlon turned and looked at him, and Peter nodded that it was okay. Peter had personally vetted the Deputy who had taken the girl. Hell, Peter had met every one outside of the three new ones who had started the month before. Noah kept him appraised on that as they were part of the security for the area, so he never minded Peter checking them out. It had stopped a Supernatural hater from being hired in and staying. Haigh had been someone that Peter was glad to see go.

Peter heard the voices and followed them to the holding cell area and found a few of the newer guards standing and looking at a person in the cell. Peter narrowed his eyes at the black eye the man had. It was getting darker as Peter was standing there, so it was fresh, given by the guards, and that also meant the guy was human. Peter rubbed at the bridge of his nose. This was going to become a shit show. At least he now understood why he was being tapped to handle this. If the Sheriff was involved, there was going to be no sweeping it under the rug and paying this person to go away.

"Finally, someone who looks like they actually have a say in what happens here. You there! Find my daughter."

Peter froze at that as he looked at the young man in the cell. Outside of the bruise darkening on his face, he was stunning. He had moles dotted across his cheeks and a few on his neck. He looked like a few of Peter's fantasies made real. And from the smell of him, he was pissed off and worried.

"Your daughter is with Deputy Parrish," Peter said.

The young man slumped down, and Peter saw his eyes start to fill with a few tears.

"Jacobs, start at the beginning. You, young man, I want to hear from them, and then I will talk to you, do you understand?" Peter asked.

The young man nodded his head and pressed his lips together.

"He was casing the grounds, Sir."

Peter felt someone moving up behind him, and he turned to see that it was the Sheriff. The other Deputy who had come in with him was not there. Peter nodded at the man, and he nodded back. Noah looked pissed off, and Peter could understand.

"And?"

"He said he would come with us as long as he got to go get his daughter. He had thrown something away after looking around, so we were checking for wolfsbane or a bomb in the trash. He kept on demanding we allow him to get his daughter and that she wouldn't come with us anywhere. There was a girl by a tree, but there was a woman near her, and so we assumed that he was just using that as a reason to get away from us to run."

"And you didn't check?"

"Sir, there are Argents in town."

"I'm well aware that there are Argents in town, Jacobs. I had dinner with Christopher and his daughter last night, actually. They are dear friends who are another layer of protection for the Royal family here in Beacon County. Now, why does he have a black eye?"

Jacobs looked a little shy about speaking about that, so Peter looked at the young man.

"Oh, is it my turn to talk?"

"Fuck," Noah whispered.

"Yes."

"Good. Now let's get that out of the way. They did not hit me. I tripped, as I am wont to do over the air. And no, that is not me lying. I know you can tell that with your wolfiness. I went down and broke one of the end tables in the hall, holding a very nice vase. The guards saved the vase, but not me."

Peter waved his hand.

"I was looking around at the new flowers planted since the last time that I was here. You guys went for red this time instead of the soft blues and purples. It was pretty. I threw away the trash from mine and my daughter's lunch. We ate on the grounds instead of leaving. Our lunch was checked through and sniffed by the guards who searched us when we came in. When the guards approached me, they demanded ID, and I told them that it was in my messenger bag with my daughter. They demanded to see it, and when I pointed out where she was with the bag and asked for them to escort me there, they got angry. They said they were detaining me for suspicious activity and would call the Sheriff to deal with me. I begged them to let me go get my daughter. She knows not to go anywhere with anyone, even other wolves. They took it as my daughter being unwilling to go with anyone as a ploy to get away."

"Why else would your daughter not go with security?" One of the guards asked.

"Well, I can say this," Peter started. "She refused to tell me who her parents were, and when I asked to escort her to security, she made a crack about candy and luring her away. She said she would follow me to security. She also told me that she was staying where she was because the last time she had moved from where her father had asked her to stay, she ended up having to hunt him down."

"Yeah, not the best day for me that one. I sighted a wanted felon for the area, and my cell wasn't getting reception, so I had to move to get it and call it in. She was away from me for like five minutes. Though I would love to see the guy or girl who tried to take her. Set of lungs she has, screaming or howling. She busted a guy's eardrum once when she was a toddler. So am I free to go or am I going to get arrested?"

"You are free to go," Peter said.

The young man stood up, and there was a rattle. When he moved, his cuffs were sitting on the bench, and he brought his hands forward and rubbed them. He grinned, and Peter thought for a second that he was being grinned at, but it was Noah behind him.

"Let's go, son," Noah said.

Peter didn't think much of it as Noah called a lot of people son.

"Did you want to press charges?"

"Nah. Selena went to Parrish, and that means she's not too freaked out. I'll reserve the right if she's worked up over it."

"I don't understand how humans can have a wolf, it's not right," one of the other guards said.

Peter looked at the man with a sharp look on his face. He hated werewolves like that. He would make sure this group was sent back for retraining and that if there was no hope on that, they didn't need someone like that here. Peter had a human nephew who had no care to ever take the bite.

"Let's go, Daddio," the man said.

Peter looked at him, and he knew then that they were pretty well screwed. Noah might not actually be that upset, but he was a bear when it came to his only son, Stiles, and especially his granddaughter. Peter hadn't known that she was a werewolf. He didn't talk about her much, but Peter did know that she was four. Well-spoken for a four-year-old but given her father's intelligence. Peter could see it.

"I'll walk you out, Noah." Peter held his hand out to have them both exit before him. He found Marlon as soon as he was in the hall, and Marlon looked just as worried as Peter felt. Marlon nodded his head and slipped away. Talia needed to be told that no only did their guards fuck up, they fucked up with the Sheriff's son and one of the newer Deputies of the Beacon County Sheriff's Department. That could spell bad things in the future.

"You don't need to worry, Peter," Noah said.

"No?"

"I hold grudges for less time than my son does."

Stiles laughed, and Peter figured that his life was going to be hell.

* * *

Peter groaned as he pulled off to the side of the road and put his flashers on as soon as he saw the red and blue in his rearview mirror. It was one of two deputies, Parrish or Stiles. So far, it had only been minor traffic violations that he had been snagged on, not using a turn signal or crossing the middle line. Today though, Peter knew he had been going over twenty miles over the speed limit. It was just after two in the morning, and the roads were dead. He had thought he would be fine, but he forgot that this area was a speed trap on occasion as he was not the only one to speed in this area.

Leaning over, Peter grabbed the needed information and rolled down his windows. Parrish always came up on the passenger side, but Stiles was always on the driver's side. The figure leaving the cruiser was coming up on Peter's left side, so he resigned himself to having to stare a little at Stiles' crotch in his pants that fit a little too well.

"Good evening, Deputy Stilinski," Peter said as he got a whiff of Stiles' scent. It made his mouth water a little, and Peter cursed the Gods that gave him this torment.

"Prince Hale, do you know how fast you were going?"

"Not really. The last time that I looked, I was going seventy-eighth, but I might have been faster than that.

"Eighty-five in a fifty-five. You know the drill at this point."

"I do." Peter handed his things over, trying to keep his eyes on the trees in front of him. He didn't need to look to the side.

Stiles idly chit chatted with him as he filled out the ticket. Peter had not tried to get out of any of them that he had been written so far. He had more respect, but at this point, he was feeling a little picked on.

The ticket was handed over along with his license, insurance card, and car registration. Peter knew he really needed to drive a less conspicuous car. He loved his Shelby Cobra, though.

"Have a good night, Your Highness, and please drive slower." Stiles tapped the top of Peter's car and then turned to leave.

Peter stayed there until the cruiser pulled away before he headed home for the evening. He would head to the courthouse and pay the fine as soon as they opened up. He had to drop off some paperwork for Talia anyway.

* * *

Peter smelled the smoke and looked up from where he was walking the Preserve. The full moon lit up everything enough that he could see the smoke. It was a house fire. Not that rare but still something that made him head toward it. He heard the commotion as the house was being put out. No survivors, the fire had spread quickly, and both residents were dead. Peter turned his hearing down and stayed where he was. He could see the blaze through the trees, but it wasn't spreading back toward the Preserve, which was the only good thing. He hated losses of life like that. He couldn't hear anyone crying or screaming, so he figured that whoever was in there had no family in the area.

The wind shifted, and Peter tensed as he smelled smoke and blood coming from a very different direction than the fire. He followed it. The smell of both got stronger, and Peter stopped when he heard sobbing and a voice pleading for someone to wake up. Peter called the Sheriff.

"Hale, I'm-" Noah cut off, and he inhaled deeply. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm in the Preserve behind the burning house. I can smell smoke, blood, and hear a little girl crying."

"Fuck, Peter, that's Stiles and Selena's house," Noah said. He inhaled deeply like he was breathing for the first time. "Hunters set it on fire, trying to kill them for Stiles not giving up his daughter."

"If I can move him, I will. If I can't, I'll send coordinates of where I am. If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, send EMTs to the castle. Neither of them is leaving there." Peter hung up and winced as he knew that the man had to be worried, but right now, he was more worried about getting them to safety. Hunters could be in the woods hunting them.

While most Hunters worked for the national agency that made sure that codes were followed and were mainly a branch of the FBI that worked on taking down out of control Supernatural beings, not all were. There were a few, the Argent family, other than Chris and Allison, at least in the US, that thought that all Supernaturals needed to be killed as they were unnatural. Families like Stiles' were targeted normally because they had no connection to a Pack. Peter was going to make sure that it changed for Stiles, at least.

The months since that issue at the castle showed that Stiles was a loving and caring father. Peter had seen him around town a good many times, and he was always right there with his daughter, who like him, had ADHD. It explained why Selena was content to stay in one place and not go away as she had been leashed many times as a child. Noah was more than willing to tell tales about them, both losing her when something that smelled good distracted her after she had learned to walk. Peter understood that as he had lost his nephew Spencer a few times in crowds when jostled. He had ended up being leashed as well.

Peter had seen Selena in the leash once at a parade that had gone through for Pride. It was one of the backpack kinds with a cute animal.

Selena was crouched over Stiles' body, and Peter could smell the distress from not only her but her father as well. Peter wasn't sure if he wanted to sneak up on them or make his presence known. When Stiles' hand came up with a gun in it, it was answered when he pointed right at Peter. Peter flashed his eyes in the darkness, really hoping that the blue of them didn't make Stiles shoot.

"PETER!" Selena yelled, and she launched herself at him, wrapping herself around his leg and holding him tightly. "Please, help Papa."

"I will, darling. I will. You need to let me go."

Selena let go of him, and Peter walked over to Stiles and crouched at his side.

"Injuries?"

"At least three broken ribs, a severe concussion, and I think only a broken leg. The other hurts but not the same, it's probably sprained."

"How in the hell did you get this far?" Peter asked.

"Selena dragged me. The Hunters didn't do their due diligence on me. I have a little spark of magic."

"I see, and what does that mean?"

"Most people who has little sparks tend to have mastery over one thing. For me, it's Mountain Ash, all forms from trees to powder. I was able to break the line even from the second floor. They lined the inside of the house so that Selena couldn't even open the door to scream outside. I broke it, and she slipped out to look around before coming and getting me and dragging me out. Adrenaline can do a lot for even a five-year-old."

"This will hurt," Peter said.

"I know. I'll probably pass out. Just protect her, promise me you'll protect her."

"I will, with my life." Peter kept that he was going to do the same to Stiles as well. Peter slipped an arm under Stiles' neck and then one under his knees before lifting. Stiles hissed in pain, and the scent of it was staggering. Peter could feel how bad his body was. He was a mass of bruises. The Hunters had worked him over. "How did you get the gun?"

"Selena is trained in firearms. How to pick them up and for guns like the ones I keep at home that are not my service issue, how to turn the safety on and off so that she can safely pick them up. There is a tunnel that leads from my basement out into the Preserve about half a mile away. That's how she got me out without tipping off the Hunters. They destroyed my cell phone before grabbing me out of bed and cut the house lines. Selena could hear them outside and feared getting to the neighbors. I was trying to talk her into leaving me and finding Dad, but she refused. Too scared, the Hunters were going to find me and kill me."

"You are her father, her anchor. There was little you could do to get her to leave." Peter looked down at her, and she was grasping his pants pocket. "Selena, I need to get your father to the castle, you need to let go of me. Can you run?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," Peter said to Stiles before he took off running as soon as Selena let go of his pocket. He listened to make sure that she kept up with him, but after a few minutes, she overtook him. Peter didn't want to jostle Stiles too much, so he didn't run nearly as fast he could. Stiles passed out after about ten minutes, and Peter was thankful for that.

* * *

Peter rolled over and jerked when he found another body in the bed. He opened his eyes to see that it was Selena. He groaned and pulled the covers up her body some before pulling her a little closer. She latched onto him without even waking up.

Stiles was still in a medically induced coma while his brain healed. He had more than a severe concussion, and since the Hunters who had done it were still being looked for, Peter had ended up taking in Selena for her own protection. There was not only a Sheriff's Deputy or a Beacon Hills Officer outside of Stiles' room at the hospital, but Peter had got a few friends of his hired to work the floor that he was on to cover every single day. They were well educated to do the job and held much higher medical positions elsewhere but had come to Beacon Hills to do as Peter asked as repayment for a favor. 

Every single night, Selena ended up in his bed. Peter had freaked out the first night, well the morning as he hadn't even realized that she was there until he woke up. She hadn't awoken him at all when she slipped into his bed. Just like the rest of the Hales, Selena had Peter wrapped around her finger. She was worried about her father, and it was easy to see that she was entirety wrapped up in her father. They were each other's whole worlds. Peter had unabashedly gone through the tablet that Noah had brought for Selena to play on to keep herself entertained as well as her school work. She was homeschooled while she got used to humans more and more. 

The education plan that Stiles had for Selena was a work of genius, and it was evident that Stiles had learned well on what worked for him and what didn't and tried to account for the issues being a werewolf would get him. There was not a lot of information about raising a werewolf child for regular humans. Peter had tried to work on that over the years, but all of the wolves were very isolationist. There were ones like Peter, who thought that humans could raise werewolf children just fine given help. There were others who thought that werewolf children should be taken from the human parent. 

Peter had looked into Selena's mother and found that she was from a very prominent werewolf family and that the family knew nothing of the child. Stiles had been in college, and the mother had gone to school all the way through, gave birth, and then finished the year at school before finally heading home. She had given up all rights and even Pack rights to the child. It wasn't the best option, but no werewolf family would fight for the rights after so long. Peter wasn't worried about that. Everything on Stiles' end had been perfectly legal. No court would force the issue. Peter would throw his weight behind it as well, given how Selena acted the first time she heard someone comment that Stiles should be woken up to give them information. It had been a wolf who knew nothing of humans. Peter had fired the man after Selena had attacked him. Young wolves didn't attack for no reason unless they were feral, and Selena was anything but feral. 

"Too early," Selena said as she rolled onto her back. She was still in the T-shirt and shorts that Peter had put her to bed in, which was good as sometimes she was without one of the items if she moved around too much before slipping into Peter's rooms. 

Peter looked at the clock on the far wall, and his eyes caught the bit of glow from it. He didn't use a digital clock in his bedroom because the glow from it was too much and kept him up, but this was something that had a low bit of electricity through it, and the hands glowed a little from that so Peter could easily estimate the time. 

"Well, you are the one that wanted to go to the zoo but go to breakfast first at that place you love. So, we have to leave soon."

"Ugh," Selena groaned as she flopped her hands. 

Selena was a dramatic little thing, which Peter had learned she got from her father. It quite suited her. They were going to stop by the hospital so that Selena could give her father a kiss and a cuddle before they headed out for the day. Noah had been more than happy to dump Selena into Peter's hands for protection as well as keeping her distracted from her only parent being in the hospital. Today they had a full day planned, and Peter knew that she was going to want to stop and visit her father again that evening. Peter also figured that he was going to be bringing back at least two stuffed animals, and possibly one of them would be bigger than her. That had happened at the carnival he had taken her to the weekend before. 

"Go get ready."

"Fine," Selena huffed before she rolled out of Peter's bed. There was someone laughing in another room, and Peter figured it was a family member of his. While this wing was his, it had the best library in the castle, and therefore the younger kids visited it a lot. Given the time of day, Peter figured that it was Derek.

Peter took his time getting ready before he headed to the library to see what family member it was. He found not only Derek in there but Spencer as well. Derek was smirking when he entered the room. Peter flipped him off, and all that did was make Derek smirk more. 

"So, the zoo?" Spencer asked as he looked up at Peter. 

"Must you?" Peter asked.

"Oh, come on. You are great with her, and I wanna see the baby elephant," Spencer said. He puffed out his lips into a pout that the little shit knew would make Peter cave. He had no willpower when it came to his nieces and nephews. 

"Fine, but you are buying your own food." 

Spencer took off out of the room, laughing as he went. Peter figured that Spencer was going to take a lot of pictures and send them to the family as Peter carried Selena around.

"It's good to see you attached to her. Mom always talks about how you will never settle down with anyone."

"I'm attached to the child, not the father."

"Ah, but once he's awake and healed, you are going to be around him as well. From the stories that I have heard Selena tell, you are going to end up falling in love with the man just as much as you have the daughter." 

Peter chose not to answer that and just walked out of the room to resign himself to the fate of being around two hyper children. Even if Spencer wasn't actually a child anymore.

* * *

Peter felt Selena tense, and he cast a wider range on his hearing to listen. There was a voice talking, and Peter couldn't place it. He ignored it and worked on listening elsewhere, and then another voice answered. Selena tugged on Peter's hand hard enough to actually hurt a little and pulled him along until they were outside of her father's room. The door was open, and Peter looked at the Deputy who was outside of the room. The man nodded at him before waving that they could go inside. Peter frowned at the man and then went inside. Selena was standing just inside the room, looking. 

The two voices were still talking, and it wasn't until Peter moved to where he could look past the curtain that he saw that the one was Stiles. It took a few seconds for Stiles to realize that Selena was in the room. When he did, he was holding out his arms, and she was scrambling up to land on his lap. 

"Peter," Noah said from the far side of the room where he was sitting in a chair, looking older than he was. 

"Noah." Peter walked over to stand beside him and listen to Stiles answering Selena's questions. 

"How goes the stuffed animal situation?" Noah asked with a smile on his lips.

"Five of them for her, two that are bigger than she is and four for my nephew." 

"So, what's the prognosis, Doc?" Stiles asked. 

Peter looked at Stiles to see that he at least looked better. His bruises on his face were fading, but he still looked like what he was, a victim of a great amount of violence. 

"I would like to keep you here for another few days to make sure that your brain doesn't start to swell again. Then you'll be free to go to Hale Castle."

"What?" Stiles asked. He looked at Peter.

"The Hunters who did this are being well hidden by someone. Until such a time that I trust that nothing will happen to either of you, you are going to be under house arrest, and the Hales have offered their place as the location. It's where Selena has been living since you were brought here."

"With the Hales?" Stiles looked at Peter and frowned. Stiles' scent changed a great deal, and Peter wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He didn't think that Stiles felt any animosity from the whole debacle. He hadn't pulled over Peter for anything other than speeding in over a month, and it was Peter speeding along the same stretch of road that he was pulled over on all the time. Peter thought that they were getting along. Stiles had talked to him for over an hour the last time he had been pulled over. 

"Of course, this never should have happened, and while you were the target, it's an attack on us as well. The longer they escape justice, the worse it looks on us. There are a lot of Packs up and down the coast looking for them. Selena gave a good description of three of them. The other two are tagged as two others that those three work with a good deal of the time for a few minor charges on this side of the country. They have never done anything this big."

"It's telling though that they didn't go after a Wolf Pack, though," Noah said.

Peter nodded his head in agreement. He and Noah had talked about a lot of things while Selena was visiting her comatose father. Stiles had a long way to go on getting better to be able to do his job. Peter figured that Stiles was going to need a lot of help getting back on his feet. He knew that his father's house was an option, but the castle had elevators, and he would be able to stay in rooms that would have everything that he needed to be contained in one. Selena loved the collection of teas that had been set up in her sitting room. He figured that all of it would be going with her. 

"They thought she and I would be easier." 

"That and Packless mean no retaliation. They hadn't done enough checking, though, because they went after someone in law enforcement. That means all law enforcement from every single level of government is pissed off," Noah said. 

"Uncle?" Spencer called out as he slipped into the room. He stopped, though, when his gaze landed on Stiles. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine, Prince Spencer," Stiles said. He waved him into the room. 

"Mom's going to be happy you are awake. She was getting worried. Now you can help her design your rooms. I'm gonna go call her."

Stiles looked at his retreating form and then looked at Peter. "Rooms?"

"Yes. My wing of the castle has more than enough room for both of you. When I placed Selena in her rooms, I did so because there is a connection tunnel between it and the one next to it. It used to be Talia, and I's rooms when we were children."

"Oh." Stiles looked really unsure.

"There is a huge elevator, Papa. It's like big enough for your entire bed, and we could still be standing beside it. It comes out right across from our bedrooms. You won't have to go up and down the stairs at all. There is also a huge garden in the back. Miss Talia has had a tea party with me three times. With sandwiches and tea and everything. I didn't even break any of the cups either."

"Wow, that sounds like fun. You know how much we love tea." The way that Stiles said those words told Peter that there was a story there. He would have to see what it was at some point. "I just...that's..."

"It's a lot. We know. The castle isn't horrible, though. You wouldn't even have to leave my wing if you didn't want to. Other than some of the family visiting the library, they don't come to my area. The elevator only works for those with the code and a fingerprint. We added Selena's the first day, and we can do the same. Your father has access as well, and Jordan. He's been the one taking care of Selena when she had to go to the school for those weird tests."

"Making sure that she's not behind on anything before the next school year starts. She's well ahead of where she needs to be, though, so it's never been that hard."

"Yes. Jordan told me that one of the teachers commented that they assumed she would do worse on the tests, so it was obvious that wolves taking care of her made her forget about her human father. She doesn't work there anymore. She said that where Selena could hear and it was only Jordan getting her out quickly that had an incident from happening. I hate idiots, and someone like that teaching the next generation meant we would have more idiots."

Stiles nodded his head, but his eyes were wide in shock. He closed his eyes and leaned back to relax on the bed. He looked tired as hell.

"Why don't we go home so Papa can get some sleep?" Selena asked. 

"Oh..." Stiles looked at his father.

Peter knew exactly what that look was.

"Nothing was left. There was a massive accelerant, and there were a few other chemicals added that made it hard to put it out with water. The houses on either side have a little heat damage, but neither of them caught fire."

Stiles nodded his head.

"Clothes."

"I have your bag from work and the one you keep in the trunk of your car. Your work outfits will be replaced at a later time. The Hales and I have made sure that Selena has clothes and everything that she needs. Her schooling is all online, so we lost none of her grades. Everything else we can replace."

Stiles nodded his head again, and his scent changed again to a little misery and a whole lot of worry. Peter walked over to the bed and picked up Selena. 

"Be good, Little Bit."

"You be good to so you can come home. Don't make me sic Pappie after you."

"I will. I'll eat all of the food that the deputies bring me."

"He refuses to eat hospital food. He'll puke it up when they force him to eat it, and then that just makes things worse. They stopped fighting him a decade ago."

"In the hospital a lot, were you?"

"ADHD and no sense of self-preservation. One doctor tried to have Dad looked at for abuse, but then as I was getting into the car, I flailed so hard at a weird noise that I popped the stitches they had just put in my head." Stiles looked like he was proud of that.

"That's...a lot of injuries," Peter said.

"And a few were lacrosse related, but the doctor didn't believe that I played it. Which I kind of didn't. Sat on the bench more than anything, but I got to play in practice, and I would get distracted when a hot guy or girl walked back. A few concussions from that."

"I'll make sure that anything breakable in your rooms is removed."

"Sounds like a plan," Stiles said with a wink. 

Peter laughed despite himself. The goodbyes were hard, and Selena knew she had to leave, but she didn't want to. Noah left with them, having to head home. 

* * *

"Peter," a voice hissed.

Peter rolled over and tried to block it out.

"I will dump you from the bed your royal assness," the voice said again. It was Mallory, the head of security for the evening times. Peter wasn't going to be able to enjoy sleeping.

"Yes?"

"Stiles and Selena are here," Mallory said.

Peter sat up in bed and looked at her. She was the doorway to the room. 

"Are they fine?" Peter asked. He looked at his clock and saw that it was just before midnight. It had been over a week since Stiles and Selena had gone home to the apartment where they were staying while a new house was found. Stiles was being picky and refused to stay in the castle even though all of the Hales had tried to talk him into it. It wasn't like they were a hardship. Having Selena in the castle to enjoy was a blessing. Stiles was still having issues with his physical therapy, and Peter liked being around for the evenings after he was done with it. He had so far gotten an invite to dinner at the apartment each of the days. 

"Yes, well...as much as can be expected. Selena smells like she had a nightmare, and Stiles smelled stressed."

"I'll be down in a few minutes."

"I was just going to send them up, and you can deal with them. I just didn't want to without getting permission."

"Yeah, that sounds fine," Peter said. He slipped out of bed and found the robe that he wore over his sleep clothes when anyone was in his rooms. He was warming up water for some herbal tea when he heard Selena's feet on the floor. She had tears in her eyes, and Peter barely caught her when she jumped at him. 

Stiles' slow and steady sound coming toward them with his cane had Peter looking up at him. He looked tired. He had looked tired all week. 

"I'm sorry," Stiles said as soon as he was in the sitting room. He shut the door and moved to sit down. 

"You never have to be sorry, sweetheart," Peter said. He walked over to sit on the love seat that was beside Stiles' chair. The chair had been moved into Peter's sitting room because the couches were all too shallow for him, and his legs hurt when he tried to get down on them. There was also an ottoman in front, and Stiles used his cane to move it to where he could put his leg up. It was in the brace, which was good. 

"The Hunters were caught last night. Dad called me, and Selena listened in. She's a little freaked out. I'm freaked out, but for another reason."

"What?" Peter asked. He turned Selena to where he could hold her, and she could fall asleep.

"Even with good therapy, it'll probably be a year before I can get back to work. Six months of intense therapy before I can be without the cane and then another six months after that before I can get back up to fighting fit. I can do it though. I'm young and healthy. Though in a month I can do a desk job so I won't be totally out of work. Dad had to do it once when he was younger. It's gonna suck. I'll be stuck running stuff, but I won't be sitting at home being bored. I'll be able to make my own schedule since I'll be in addition to the desk person since I won't be fighting fit. I'll be fine though. I promise."

"Then why aren't either of you sleeping?" Peter had wanted to get into it for days, but he had left it when he had visited them. They needed an adjustment period. The apartment was safe, they knew that. Peter had made sure that Stiles chose a place that was safe for them. That had other Supernaturals in the building. 

"We've tried, but it just..." Stiles waved his hand. It wasn't even as expressive as it used to be. He was worn out by a great measure, and Peter hated it. 

Peter knew that he had fallen in love with Selena and with her father. He hadn't done a single thing yet. He had planned to wait until Stiles wasn't living with him even though Talia had done everything to get them to stay there while Stiles could live on his own again with Selena. 

"You know you didn't have to move out."

"I know." Stiles dropped his head down and looked up. 

Peter looked at Selena to find that she was already asleep. He stood up and carried her to his bed. The scent of him would help keep her asleep, even without him holding her anymore. When he got back into the sitting room, he found Stiles was looking at him. 

"What do you see?" Peter asked. He grabbed tea bags and slipped them down into two cups before adding water. He carried them over to the stand between the love seat and the chair that Stiles was in. He set them down. The tea wasn't going to get too strong as it was all fruit bits and a little cinnamon. It was a blend that Stiles really liked. 

"Every day, that changes. I thought that it was how you protected us, but now I am not so sure."

"What are you not sure about?" Peter walked to sit down on the edge of the love seat. He turned his body toward Stiles'. 

"What I feel for you. The attraction is nothing new to me. I knew that bit from the moment I saw you saunter into the holding area when I was first here. You never got pissed off, no matter how stupid the moving violation was that I pulled you over for. Then you started to just speed, and you talked to me. Never stopping me from talking, even when we were out there for an hour."

"People who intrigue me never make me angry, not like that. You were pulling my pigtails, sweetheart, and I knew it. I would have kept our game going on for another month and then asked you out proper one night after you handed me my ticket. Then the fire. I protected you as much as I could. Protecting Selena while you could not was the biggest thing first. Curly fries were second."

"Asshole," Stiles said, but he was smiling as he said it. He held out his hand. Peter took it. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Stiles' hand. 

"You know that I am. That's nothing new at all. You are an asshole as well. Your daughter is doomed to be one as well. Though I think it's fully genetic, your father is one when he's not in full Sheriff mode." Peter drew Stiles' hand up and kissed the back of it. "What do you need?"

"Sleep and food. She's barely slept, and even she is, I can't. I've been talking to the therapist more, and Selena has as well, but we both are just not ready to not be here. I hate that I have to say that, but our mental health is worth whatever bit of dignity I lose over it."

"You don't lose dignity. Only if you refuse to do what is needed for yourself and your daughter. Talia and I have both told you that whatever you need, we will give you. At this point, you are both Pack. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for either of you. And that does not mean that you need to be anything more than my friend either." 

"I know, but you...you love her. You try and act like you don't love her as much as you do. Yet you have never treated me as anything but her father. You've never tried to insert your into it and say that you are more knowledgeable in raising her. No one here has never tried to make me feel like I am shit at raising her."

"Spencer was one of the lucky kids that grew out of his ADHD. We knew exactly what to do to deal with that. You had it yourself, and you know your daughter better than we do. You showed us all that you were more than capable of raising her. You got her out of a burning house, you made sure that she could get out. You love your daughter."

"Yeah, I do." Stiles swallowed, and Peter could see how hard it was for him to do that. 

Peter leaned over and braced his knee on the edge of Stiles' chair. "You aren't telling me what you need."

"Sleep. I need days and days of sleep, and I don't want to think. I don't have therapy of any kind tomorrow. Selena wants to go to work with Derek."

"That girl and her ability to sit in his office all day long and read it astounding."

"Reading is the only time that she is still. She does not get that part from me. My father used to squirt me with a water bottle when my leg wouldn't stop jiggling while I was sitting and reading."

"You can now."

"Years of training, so I don't get sprayed."

"So that's what I need to do?" Peter was grinning as he said it. Stiles laughed and shook his head. "Do you want to sleep in bed with Selena and me?" 

"As long as I can put this leg on the other side of Selena. She moves while sleeping, just like I do, and I don't want to hurt it more."

"I'll make sure that she doesn't." Peter picked up the tea and handed it over to Stiles. He leaned back again as he took it and settled in to sip at the tea while it cooled to where he could drink it quickly. The warm liquid helped him sleep better. Peter had learned that well from helping Stiles get to sleep after he got back here after being released from the hospital. 

"Ready," Stiles said when he drained the tea. 

Peter helped him up before taking him in his arms. Stiles gasped but didn't flail. He let Peter take his weight. His cane was beside the chair, and Stiles really hoped that Peter grabbed it at some point, even if it was in the morning. 

Selena was in bed, curled up like she liked to sleep on the far edge. Stiles was laid down beside her, and there was enough room on the other side of him for Peter. 

"I'm going to strip you down and dress you again." 

Stiles nodded his head. Peter had done it more than once when his body was too tired to deal. He didn't care that Peter was going to see him mostly naked. He had seen his daughter more than mostly naked a lot when she was running around and shredded her clothes. He relaxed in the bed as Peter untied his shoes first and then tugged his pants down after taking off the brace. It was put back on his leg with ease. Stiles swallowed as Peter's hands were gentle on his skin. It felt good. Especially when Peter settled on the bed and started to rub his calf on that leg. 

"I won't be responsible for noises I make," Stiles said. 

"I just want you to relax. I remember that this helped before." 

"Hmm," Stiles hummed. He closed his eyes and relaxed down. After a few minutes, Peter got up and helped Stiles get his shirts off and then got him into one of Peter's. Stiles stayed in his boxers so that he wasn't fully naked, but sleeping with sleep pants wasn't something he had been doing since he had started to wear a brace. Once Peter had him under the blankets, Stiles rolled to his side, facing where Peter was getting dressed for bed in the bathroom. 

The bathroom door was left open, so he didn't feel bad about looking at Peter at all. If Peter didn't want him looking, he should have closed the door. Stiles' heart sped up a little bit as Peter shucked his underwear. Peter's body was beautiful. Hard muscle and smooth skin. He was striking. The tanned skin that he had on his body was something that Stiles wanted to lick. Tasting the salt of the day and scent, that was just Peter. It was something that Stiles had learned even Selena liked to do when she needed reassurance about Stiles. She would lay on him and just breathe him in. 

Stiles tried not to blink too much after the light went out, but he had to. The sound of Peter's feet on the floor told him that he was making noise, so he didn't scream when Peter sat on the bed. He got under the covers and then was scooting as close to Stiles as he could get. 

"Sleep, Stiles. We can discuss everything in the morning. I'm sure that someone will distract the moppet until we are ready to deal with her."

Stiles hummed but didn't say a word. He scooted to Peter when he laid on his back, laying his head over his shoulder and listening to his heartbeat in his chest. The sound of it pulled Stiles under into sleep. Peter was right that everything could wait for the morning. There was no rush, not anymore.

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on MeWe [here](https://mewe.com/i/beccaqueen1), join me there and we can discuss my fics and whatnot. 
> 
> Check out my two Quantum Bang fics that went live this June.  
> Teen Wolf's [Fail. Try Again. Fail Better.](http://quantumbang.org/fail-try-again-fail-better-by-darkjediqueen/)  
> Criminal Minds' [The Ache for Something More](http://quantumbang.org/the-ache-for-something-more-by-darkjediqueen/).


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